Infamous ex-NBA guard now pursuing career as referee
Jul 26, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Smush Parker attends The NYC Point Gods Premiere at The Midnight Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports
One former NBA player is attempting quite the second act.
Bleacher Report revealed this week that ex-Los Angeles Lakers guard Smush Parker is working towards a career as an NBA official. Parker had previously shared pictures to Instagram of himself at referee camp as well as working games in The Basketball League (TBL), an independent pro league.
16-year NBA veteran Smush Parker is working towards a career as a NBA official 🙌
(via @SmushParker21, @madehoops) pic.twitter.com/rMJnk5YEUj
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 10, 2023
For Parker, who played in the NBA for five total seasons but had various stints in the then-NBA D-League as well as overseas, his name is a fairly infamous one among basketball fans. That is because Parker prominently feuded with Kobe Bryant, his teammate on the Lakers from 2005 to 2007, in a beef that lasted for many years. After Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash in Jan. 2020, Parker said that he regretted never mending his relationship with Bryant.
During his NBA career, Parker also had some bizarre off-court incidents. But with Parker now 41 years old, it is fantastic to see him making a new name for himself by pursuing a new dream as a referee.
